How Gambling Is Ruining Lives

I understand that as you are reading this article right now you already know what the term gambling means and of cause you want to know how gambling is ruining lives, but for record purpose I will like to first give a wikipedia definition of gambling before I proceed to the subject matter.

Wikipedia defines gambling as thewagering of money or something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning money or material goods.

Gambling today in Nigeria has been disguised and sugar coated with a sweet name “Youth empowerment program” and for a long time now I have been asking myself how gambling empowers the millions of youth in Nigeria, I inclusive.

Given the definition of gambling as putting money or material things on an outcome that one has no power to predict with 100% certainty I say gambling does not empower the youths, rather it makes them lazy and unable to think out of the box.

Nigeria as a Case Study

The betting companies or bookies as they are called know this secret, they know for sure that every time one person wins a huge amount of money, thousands of other people have also lose their money, a looser pay winner kind of system, little wonder betting companies are springing up in Nigeria every day and some of them are not even registered nor licensed by the lottery commission in Nigeria.

Gambling like any other vice when it becomes addictive it becomes detrimental to one’s health, a few years back while I was in school, i and some friends were watching a football match in a viewing center, it was a match between Everton and some other club and a young man in the viewing center placed his bet on Everton to win.

It so happened that his coupon was an accumulator kind of coupon (more than one game on a single slip) all the other clubs in the coupon had played and he was just waiting for Everton to play so he could win 1.2 million naira.

Back then the bookies had no option for cash out. As the game played out Everton was winning, he was celebrating, second half the other team equalized, after some minutes the scored again, this time Everton was losing by 2 goals to 1.

Immediately the young man collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, when he woke up in the hospital bed his first question was…. What did the Everton game end? Since that day he was nicknamed Everton.

That was just a little summary of how gambling is ruining lives in Nigeria. Just last week I read an article on Nairaland about a young man whose father gave the sum of 1 million naira to buy a cab and establish himself, this young man went to a Bet9ja shop and lost 300k to gambling, the rest is history.

How Gambling is Ruining Lives…

Many youths today who have become addicted to gambling end up selling their items just to stake a game, I remember visiting a bet9ja shop, a young guy walked into the shop with the sum of 3000 naira and began playing visual bet until he lost all the money he came in with.

His eyes became very red and then he approached me and asked me to please lend him 200 naira so that he could have lunch, I was honestly shocked by his request because I could not imagine why somebody will not buy some food with his money and end up spending it all on betting and start begging.

Some people go as far as creating Whatsaap groups with names like “Bet9ja students”, ‘Pro punters”, “over 1.5 gurus” e.t.c and they give all sort of assurance that their forecast always come through.

Thereby deceiving most gullible youths to pay for games and end of the day the buyer loses both the paid to the so called professional punter and the money staked on a given game.

Of a truth gambling is ruining lives in Nigeria. In a situation where a student bets with his or her school fees and such student loses the bet, what will be his or her next line of action?

Obviously such student could slide into depression, look for means to recoup the money either through a legal or an illegal means.

Most gamblers are unable to save any money, because they think winning a bet is like having free money, so the end up shopping for irrelevant things whenever the win a bet and then they spend more money on betting other games in the hope of winning more.

And most times the end up losing, some young people who should be at their place of work would be in a betting shop from morning to night playing visual until the exhaust themselves, not knowing that gambling is ruining their lives.

I have watched this unfortunate and ugly trend for long and decided to take my time and point out a few things since so many people will not talk about it, it’s quite unfortunate that most youths today are looking for quick schemes to make money rather than looking for ventures that will unleash their God given potentials that they can use in positive ways and impact on the life others.

Brief Summary of How Gambling is Ruining Lives…

Limits your creativity i,e inability to think outside the box

Excessive gambling can lead to depression

Inability to have a reasonable savings

It may cause anxiety

It may lead you to steal just to get money to stake on a game

Gambling can make you go broke.

If you have read through from beginning to end, I will like you to kindly examine yourself are you addicted to gambling? Is gambling ruining your life? Be honest with yourself and start looking for other ways to withdraw from this addiction and earn a living through other responsible ways instead of hoping to be a millionaire through gambling. If you have contributions please kindly use the comment box. Thank you for your time.